Technical Field
Embodiments relate to processors. In particular, embodiments relate to processors to perform vector memory access instructions such as gather and/or scatter instructions.
Background Information
Processors are commonly operable to perform instructions to access memory. For example, processors may execute load instructions to load or read data from memory and/or store instructions to store or write data to memory.
Certain processors are operable to execute vector gather instructions. These vector gather instructions are also referred to simply as gather instructions. Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions Programming Reference, document reference number 319433-011, published June 2011, describes several gather instructions. Examples include VGATHERDPD, VGATHERQPD, VGATHERDPS, VGATHERQPS, VPGATHERDD, VPGATHERQD, VPGATHERDQ, and VPGATHERQQ. These gather instructions may cause the processor to gather, read, or load multiple potentially non-contiguous data elements from locations in memory indicated by multiple corresponding memory indices. The gathered data elements may be stored in a destination vector register of the processor.